Envelop-clasp.



. `UNITED STATES PATENT tmnicE.y

I ENvELbPfcLAsrt )il l .i i

j Patented. Jan. 15,1918.

y Application nien February' er, isiv. seriiivo. 151,178.

To all rwiom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Ro'i'rMAN, a citizen-of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York,

6 have invented certain new and useful'lIin'- provements in EnvelopC1asps, of which the allowing is a specification.

My invention relates to envelop clasps, and more particularly to that class of clasps in which the locking member revolves. The ob'ect of my invention is to provide ,a clasp o this type which may be opened and 'closed as many times as vdesired* and which will not be released or opened accidentally if the envelop is sent through the, mails or carried in the pocket. The envelop clasps in general use have metal locking members whichare adapted to be bent over after being p'assed through the eyelet of the flap. Thenumber of times which. such clasps lcan be opened and.`closed is necessarily limited because the metal is bent each time. Furthermore, the ends of the clasp often catch in .other envelope, and papers.. vIn the present device the .".olasp member turns on a pivot and therefbre it may be opened-and closed any -number of times without appreciable wear, andthe ends areso disposed that they will not catchon other'envelo'ps, or papers. The clasp member is adapted to engage with the eyelet reinforcement in such a manner that. the clasp member will not be accidentally tur'ned while being handled or when the envelop is transmitted through the mail. The vdevice is adapted for use on either extensible or non-extensible envelops.

In the'drawing forming part of this. application, l

, Vrel is an elevation of an envelop ern'- odyin ,the features of my invention and it "li'wstf eclasp closed. or locked.

f i 'L2-Eis, a sectional view, taken onthe line oflFig. 1,- 1` l Fig. Sis a sectional view taken on the line B-.S of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig.. 5,

Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the flap i open, M Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8""8 of Figo 5l i A 4 Fi .'4 is a sectional view taken on the line` In the' drawings 4I haveshown envelo l provided with theusualfap 2 and it is understood that the envelop may be of any shape desired. The present device is in-I tended to hol/d thev Hap closed. In Figs. 1 t0 4 the device is constructed as follows 'There is a washer 3 on the inner sidefof l themateyrial forming the body 1 ofthe en? velop .and this washer isV unsecured to the material in order that" it may revolve in relation to saidbody. There is preferabl a washer or reinforcing member 4 secur to the' body material on the outside and overA the washer 3.' These washers and the body material have re isteringapertures 5. The

clasp member 6 as a' at central portion 7 which rests against and turns on the reinforcing washer- 4,. and there is an eyeletB` stamped from the clasp member and extending through the apertures 5 and turned over at the inside against the washer 3. clasp member is adapted' to turn on the eyelet and the washer 3 is free to turn with the eyelet, so that the latter will noty tear through the body material aroundthe eyelet hole. n

The Hap 2 is provided'with an elongated opening 9Vin a position to correspond with 'the position ofY the clasp when the Hap is closed, and the edge of this opening is reinforced by the` member 10 which is pref- -erably made ofj'pressed board pasted or glued to ftheliap 2.

., The clasp member 6 is bent upwardly 4from the intermediate portion 7 at H and then it eXtendshor-izontally at 12 and at each The side of the central portion 7 a distance just I' equal to the width ofthe reinforcementl.

It then turns downwardly at each end, .as shown at 13 so that this portion lies at right anglesto the portion 12` and turnstoward the flap when the latters in 'closed position. Y

To close the envelop the clasp is turned to' the dottedline. positionsliown in Fig. 1, where it will be parallel to the fap open-` ing 9, and then the Hap is closed over the body 1, bringing the clasp through this opening. The clas 6 is then turned until ,it lies crosswise of t e opening 9, whereupon the envelop will be locked closed. lIt will be noted" that the bends 11 form shoulders which abut against the innerV edges of the reinforcement 10 when in closed position. Likewise, the bends 13 form shoulders which engage against the' outer edge of the reiniat forcement when the clasp is in closed or locked position. When the clasp is moved from open to closed position or vice versa,

the downturned ends 13 are forced to pass over the reinforcement 10 and the reinforcement or clasp must bend slightly in order to permit of this movement. The movement,

therefore, as the clasp is turned on its pivot,

is more or less resisted. This resistance .is

here depended upon .to keep the clasp in closed or locked position, so that When the envelop is handled the" clasp will not be aC- ciolentally opened. The ends of the clasp being turned down toward the Hap they are not apt to catch on anything and be turned accidentally or he bent out of position.

With the flap opening 9 extending up and down, as in Fig. 1 the clasp has a vertical play therein so that if the envelop is slightly extended when filled the flap can accommodate itself thereto in relation to the clasp. It will be understood that the opening 9 could extend ina direction at right angles to that shown in Fig. 1, the other elements remaining the same, and then the play referred to would be eliminated This might be preferable for non-extensible envelops.

In Figs. 5 to S l' have shown a modified construction in which the clasp may slide Well as turn, to allovsT for any extension of the envelop. Herein there a metal plato 14 secured to the body 1 by tongues 15 pass ing through the body and clenched inside. The plate 14C, in this construction, has an opening or slot 1G but there is none in the body 1. The clasp (3 has an eyelet 8 passing through the slot 1G and Washer 18; the clasp portion 7 sliding against the outer surface of the plate 14. While the washer 18 slides against the inner surface thereof. Otherwise the clasp is the same as in the previous form. The clasp may slide in relation to the plate 14.- corresponding With the length ot the slot (i so that thc Flap may adjust itself to the envelop if the attcr is extended. But whatV over the position of the clasp alongthe slot 1G the fiap will be held closed by the clasp.

Iam aware that it has been proposed to use a turning clasp for closing envelops bui without something to retain the clasp member in closed position it is unreliable because it is very apt to turn when the envelop is handled, thereby releasing the llap. When the present clasp is turned to closed position the shoulders 1,1, 13 engage the edges of the reinforcement 1() or 14 and tend to keep the clasp in position against accidental displacement.

` Having described my invention, What I so ijlaim is;

-1. The. combination with an envelop and its flap, said flap having an opening to receive a clasp, and having a reinforcing member on the outside, a clasp member pivotall connected to the envelop and adapted to pass through said flap opening and to be turned crosswiso thereof to lock the flap closed, said clasp member .having an abutment portion adapted to engage said reinforcing member and to resist .the turning of the clasp member when the latter is in locked position.

2. The combination with an envelop and its flap, said flap having an opening to receive a clasp and having a reinforcing member on the outside thereof and around said opening, of a. clasp member pi'votally connected to the envelop and adapted to pass through said flap opening and to be turned crosswise thereof to lock the flap closed, said clasp member Ahaving abutment portions adapted to engage on opposite edges otsaid reinforcing member and to resist the turning of the clasp member when the latter is in locked position.

3. The combination with an envelop and its flap, said flap having an elongated opening to receive a clasp, and having an exterior reinforcing member around said opening, of a clasp member havinpan eyelet portion extending through the envelop, a loose Washer on the inside of the envelop and engaged by the inner end of said eyelet, a reinforcing Washer secured to the outside of the envelop near the eyelet, saidclaspmember being adapted to revolve on said eyelet, the clasp being bent upwardly from the envelop on opposite sides of the eyelet to form abutments adapted to engage the inner edges of said reinforcing member and extending i thence horizontally' and having its ends bent 100 downwardly toward the envelop to form other abu'tments for engaging the outer edges of said reinforcing member forv the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of an envelop and its flap, said Hap having an opening to receive a ciasp and provided with an exterior rein forcing member for said opening, a slotted plate secured to the envelop, ar Washer or the like adapted to slide between said slotted yplate and the envelop, a. catch member having an eyelet portion extending through the slotted plate and engaging the Washer, said clasp member having abutment portions adapted to engage the edge of the reinforcing member of the flap and adapted to resist. the turning of said clasp when the latter is in locked position. Signed at -the city. county and State of f New York this 2 day of February, 1917.

ononon no'rTMAN. 

